ISLAMABAD: When a Pakistani pilgrim realized he had left behind a bag containing thousands of Saudi riyals, bank cards and personal valuables on a bus departing Mina during the final days of Hajj, the chances of recovering it appeared slim.
Around him, thousands of buses were transporting pilgrims across the sprawling holy sites outside Makkah as one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings drew to a close.
But within an hour, officials from Pakistan’s Hajj Mission had traced the vehicle, contacted its driver and recovered the bag intact.
The episode is one of dozens of stories shared by Pakistani officials who spent weeks in Saudi Arabia helping pilgrims navigate the crowds, heat and logistical challenges of Hajj, where millions of Muslims gather each year to perform the annual pilgrimage.
Pakistan sends one of the world’s largest Hajj contingents annually. This year, nearly 179,000 Pakistanis performed the pilgrimage under government and private schemes, supported by a mission comprising officials drawn from multiple government departments responsible for welfare, transport, accommodation and pilgrim assistance.
“At that time, thousands of buses were leaving Mina for the pilgrim camps,” said Bilal Rafiq, an assistant coordinator with Pakistan’s Hajj Mission and a deputy secretary in Punjab’s Communications and Works Department.
“The pilgrim had no information except that the bag had been left in a bus. In such circumstances, tracing the vehicle seemed almost impossible.”
Rafiq said mission staff coordinated with Saudi authorities and transport operators, using GPS tracking and live-location technology to identify the vehicle.
“Within about an hour, we were able to locate the exact bus and contact its driver,” he said.
The bag was eventually recovered from a bus parking area. According to Rafiq, it contained 8,000 Saudi riyals, more than Rs100,000 and multiple credit cards.
For many mission staff, however, the greatest challenge is not recovering lost property but helping pilgrims who become separated from relatives or lose their way amid the vast crowds moving between Makkah, Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat.
“Many pilgrims lose their way because of the crowds and diversions during Hajj,” said Saddam ul Abidin Khan, an assistant coordinator serving with the mission and an official of Pakistan’s National Highways and Motorway Police.
“Sometimes elderly pilgrims, women or people with disabilities are unable to return to their camps on their own.”
This year, Pakistan introduced vehicles dedicated to transporting lost, elderly and vulnerable pilgrims back to their accommodation, supplementing welfare teams stationed throughout the holy sites.
“It was a new initiative,” Khan said. “The vehicles helped us transport pilgrims who had become separated from their groups and could not find their way back.”
Khan recalled another incident in which he found a brown bag containing more than 10,000 Saudi riyals, Pakistani currency, an Apple iPhone, ATM cards and personal documents.
After tracing the owner, a pilgrim from Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, mission staff returned the belongings several days later.
“He was very thankful,” Khan said.
According to mission officials, such incidents are common during Hajj, where extreme heat, physical exhaustion and the movement of massive crowds can leave pilgrims disoriented or separated from family members.
For the thousands of officials deployed by Pakistan each year, the work often extends well beyond administrative responsibilities.
“There are many stories like these,” Khan said. “Our staff have returned valuables and helped reunite pilgrims with their families. It is an honor for us to be part of this mission and serve the guests of Allah.”
